


Wonder

by geminiangel



Series: 2017 NCIS Holiday Holidays Advent Challenge [9]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geminiangel/pseuds/geminiangel
Summary: Written for the 2017 NCIS Holiday Holidays Advent Challenge over at https://ncis-discuss.livejournal.com





	Wonder

Dec 8: Wonder

"Mr. DiNozzo?"

"Here." Tony jumped anxiously to his feet.

The nurse smiled kindly at him. "I have someone who would like to meet you."

Tony's hands were shaking and he felt Gibbs' hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Tony. Take a deep breath."

The nurse smiled at them kindly. "Just listen to your father and you'll be fine."

Gibbs' hand tightened a bit on his shoulder but neither man corrected her. Both were focused on the white baby blanket with pink and blue stripes.

It seemed like yesterday, one of his frat brothers he hadn't seen in years called him. His daughter had been attacked and was in a hospital in DC. He all but begged Tony to be with Rebecca until he and her mother could get there. Of course, Tony had promised readily. He had helped her during the police interviews, comforted her and assured her that her parents were on the way.

Being Tony, he had given her all his contact information and had encouraged her to stay in touch. Over the weeks, she had turned to him as a neutral party. It was Tony Rebecca had called, sobbing after seeing her family doctor. She was pregnant. Being very devout, she was against having an abortion. Tony had put her in touch with a counselor and had even volunteered to fly out to Texas and be there when she told her parents for which they were all grateful.

She was about half way through the pregnancy when Rebecca asked if Tony could fly out again and talk to her and her parents. Stunned, Tony had called Gibbs from his hotel room. "She wants me to take the baby…" He mumbled when Gibbs picked up the phone.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs squinted at the clock. It was two in the morning.

"She wants me to take the baby." Tony repeated.

Gibbs brushed his hand over his face. "Who does?"

"Rebecca. Gibbs, she wants me to adopt the baby."

"Uh…" Gibbs was stunned. "What do her parents say?"

"Tyler and Pam agree. They said that my support of Rebecca showed what kind of a father I would be."

"How do you feel about it?"

"Scared."

Gibbs leaned against his headboard. "Let me ask you, when Rebecca first suggested it, what was your gut instinct. Do you want the baby?"

Over fifteen hundred miles away, Tony leaned against his own headboard. "Yes," he whispered. " I can't…What if… I mean, Senior…"

"Tony, you are four times the man Senior will ever be." Gibbs cursed the idiot again. "The counselor was helping her go through a book of prospective parents. Rebecca asked if she had to pick someone in the book. She and Dr. Geist talked about me and Dr. Geist agreed she needed to ask me if Rebecca felt that strongly."

"Did Rebecca tell you why she wanted you?"

"We've talked a lot." Tony admitted. "Shared old hurts; old exes. Told her about Wendy." Tony swallowed hard. "Rebecca said that she couldn't raise the baby. She isn't even nineteen. Plus, she felt it would constantly remind her of the rape. She felt sure that I would never hold that against the baby and God forbid, if the baby ever found out; she felt I could support it through it like I did her. She said she felt God was leading her to me as He lead me to her after the attack."

"Tony, I know it won't be easy being a single parent. You may even want to take a desk job." Gibbs swallowed a lump in his throat. "I want you to know I've got your six. I'll be there for you, every step of the way. Every new tooth, skinned knee and head bump; because you know with your concussion record, your child has no chance."

Tony laughed raggedly. "Gibbs, I don't know what to say."

Gibbs realized that he did. It was something he should have said a long time ago. "If Shannon and I had a son, I wish it could have been you. You are the son of my heart. I'd be honored if you would consider me a second father." Gibbs was worried at the silence on the line. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Can I…" Tony struggled to breath as he asked, "call you dad?"

"I think that would be fine."

"Dad, I'm going to be a daddy."

Gibbs struggled not to cry. "Course you realize that means Great-Grandpa Jackson will be over the moon."

Tony laughed through tears of joy. "Aunt Abby, Uncle Tim, Grandpa Ducky, Uncle Jimmy, Grandpa Jethro and Great-grandpa Jackson. Kid's already got quite a family."

When the call finally came that Rebecca was in labor, there had been a mad scramble for the airport where one of Tony's frat buddies was waiting to fly them to Texas on a private jet. Gibbs put his foot down firmly and announced that they would not be descending on the hospital like a horde of locusts. He and Tony were flying out while the rest would wait at home as they had already consulted the doctors and would be flying home two days after the baby was born again by private jet. There had been a lot of pouting and that was before Abby had really started, but grudgingly they gave in.

As Tony stared at his child, he felt that same rush of joy as the night Gibbs became his dad. Rebecca hadn't wanted to know the sex of the baby and Tony had agreed. Now he was dying to know. "What is it?"

The nurse took pity on Tony and didn't answer "a baby." She handed the baby towards him. "Meet your daughter."

Between the nurse and Gibbs, they managed to get Tony's arms in position while he stared in wonder at the bundle. Stepping back the nurse nodded at Gibbs then left the room closing the door behind her.

Gibbs gently edged the blanket away from his grand-daughter's face revealing newborn blue eyes and tufts of dark hair for Tony.

"Wow. I'm a daddy." Tony's voice was full of wonder and joy. "You are so beautiful." Tony carefully freed his right hand so he could touch her cheek. "I love you, Amanda."

Gibbs smiled when he thought of how careful Tony been about her name. He didn't want anything to trendy or too unusual. No unisex, names of places or cities were even considered. No movie characters, no famous singers or popular actresses/actors were considered either. He had considered Caitlin, Abigail, Cassie and Shannon for a girl and Leroy, Jackson, James or Timothy for a boy; but agree with Gibbs that the baby should have a name of its own. When he had found the meaning of Amanda, "worthy of love," that had cinched the choice. Tony had after much dithering had picked Thomas for a boy.

"I have a daughter. Isn't she perfect?" Tony looked up his face full of wonder.

"She is. Hey, sweetheart." Gibbs took hold of her tiny hand. "I'm your grandpa. Welcome to the family."


End file.
